Essential exam preparation

Essential Exam Preparation

We share our tips on how you can prepare for your exams, and how exam techniques can help you to get the best grades.

As with any examination, it is essential to study and prepare prior to sitting your exam. You need to create a study schedule to make sure that you have identified all the required topics and revised them before you take the exam. It is advisable to consider the relative weighting given to particular topics in your exam, and the extent to which the examination paper will require computational or discursive responses.

You can support your study by creating a revision routine that gives you the time and space to engage with the AIA Achieve Academy distance learning course. This includes recorded BPP lectures, live workshops, practice questions, etutor feedback, textbooks and other valuable study resources. It is also important that you practise past questions.

Spend your time wisely

Before sitting the online exam, it is important to familiarise yourself with the format of your exam paper. How many questions will you be required to answer and how much time should you allocate to each question? In a three hour paper, you have 180 minutes – in a 100 mark exam paper, this equates to 1.8 minutes per mark.

For example, a 100 mark exam that takes 180 minutes might be structured like this:

● Multiple choice questions (10 marks): 18 minutes

● One long question (40 marks): 72 minutes (or 1 hour 12 minutes)

● Short form questions (20 marks): 36 minutes

● Choice questions (30 marks): 54 minutes

Exam technique

Exam technique is essential. It is highly recommended that you sit the practice exam paper within Achieve Academy to practise these skills, as this will provide you with a general idea of what to expect in the actual exam.

To ensure that your online exam runs smoothly and to resolve any technical issues prior to your exam, it is advisable that you take part in the practice exam session which is held prior to the exam week. The aim of the practice session is to allow you to:

● check that your device meets the requirements;

● check that you have downloaded the Rogo Kiosk app correctly;

● familiarise yourself with the ID checks; and

● ensure that you are able to access the exam platform.

In computer-based testing, you will be providing responses in a Word template or on spreadsheets. Your answers should be clear and logically ordered, and supporting workings should be included. The computer-based platform provides an opportunity for you to present your answers with clarity and precision – it is important to maximise this benefit as it can effectively signal to the marker where each element of the answer is provided.

To help you achieve a pass in the exam, you must be able to perform computational questions in the correct layout and show all your workings. By adopting the correct layout, even if you make some errors, the marker can clearly follow your workings and give credit where due.

Make the most of your work

The best way to prepare for calculation questions is to practise lots of past questions. When presenting answers in the exam, be sure to label your workings. Numbers used should be labelled so your treatment is clearly demonstrated.

For discursive questions, there are two techniques that you can adopt to maximise your performance.

Takeaways

● Register on Achieve Academy

● Familiarise yourself with the syllabus content and prepare a realistic study plan

● Practice past questions and exam technique

● Take part in the practice exam session

● Ensure your device meets the requirements

● Answer all questions thoroughly and attempt all parts to the question

● Self-reflect

Firstly, relate your answers to the question scenario. Phrases such as ‘in this company’ or ‘in this particular situation’ can help in focusing your responses on the details of the scenario, and can help to demonstrate how you have applied your knowledge. These forms of phrases can also signal to the marker where in your answer you are demonstrating such application skills.

Secondly, ensure that you support your analyses with evidence or reasons. Marks are awarded for breadth and depth of content. Use ‘reason indicators’ in your answer, such as ‘this is because...’ or ‘the reason for this is…’ These allow you to construct ‘reasoned arguments’ that communicate your ability to write in depth.

It is vital that you attempt all the questions and all parts of a question. Note the word ‘attempt’ –it is important to attempt everything, not to finish everything (you don’t need to score 100% to pass the exam). It is always better to respond to a question than leave the answer template blank – even if you are unsure of the answer, one or two marks may make all the difference between passing and failing.

If you are not able to respond at that given moment, do not dwell too long on the question and risk inefficient use of your time. You can return to complete unanswered questions later in the exam – the online, computer-based platform supports and facilitates this form of flexibility.

After the exam

After sitting your exam, it is important that you reflect on how you think you performed. This self-reflection will, of course, focus on content and technical aspects of the exam questions, but it can also extend to reflection on learning outcomes that relate to your preparation or approach.

You might consider how well-prepared you were, and how this was reflected in your experience of the examination. You might also reflect on how you managed the allocation of time, and how familiar you were with the software and tools at your disposal. In engaging in this reflection, you may be able to carry forward valuable insights into the preparation phase of your next examination.